


Lost Souls

by Nihilakh



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-26
Updated: 2017-11-18
Packaged: 2019-01-23 17:19:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12512364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nihilakh/pseuds/Nihilakh
Summary: Everyone has that part of themselves they wish they didn't. For Mikasa Ackerman, that part of herself was not something that she was born with, but forced into. When you lose your humanity, how far will you go to get it back? How do you get it back? Sometimes it is through our darkest moments that we find the most light.





	1. Hello Darkness

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first work I have ever shown to the world. So naturally, I would be grateful for any constructive criticism. Thank you.

She awoke to the same room she’d lived in for no more than a fortnight. With a sigh, she glanced to her right to see the bright beams of light cascading in through the window, providing her evidence that today was gifted with a cerulean sky. She sat up and brought her feet over the edge of the bed and onto the hardwood floor. A cursory glance around the room revealed nothing of note beyond her first entrance into this room all those days ago. It was simple, a cot and dresser on one side of the room and a single chair with a small table on the other side. They were simple accommodations that suited her well. After all, they were _much_ better than sleeping in tents for weeks on end.

She smiled ever so slightly at the thought. Still, there’s not much time to waste. With that thought she padded over to her dresser and pulled on a comfortable tunic and leggings. She pulled her black leather boots on and then turned to the table where her armor lay neatly displayed. It was the set she was given in the early days of her training and she trusted it with her life. She strapped on her vambraces, greaves, pauldrons, and breastplate. The cold steel was comforting. Emblazoned upon the breastplate and the pauldrons was the Scout Regiment symbol, the Wings of Freedom. She ensured that the leather straps were secure and next she grabbed her sword, attaching it to the leather belt at her waist. The blade was a simple one, for Mikasa was not one for ornamentation. No one in the Scouts bothered with it really, that type of behavior was usually reserved for the nobles and Royal Guard. With an inhale and an exhale, she mentally prepared herself for the day.  
With that, she stepped out from the confines of her room, taking a left down a lengthy corridor before turning right at its end. There, some stairs descended two flights before she reached the tavern’s main floor.

“Hey Mikasa!” Shouted her subordinate Jean, gesturing for her to join him and several others at a table near the back of the room.

“That’s Squad Leader Ackerman to you.” She chided, failing to keep a grin from her lips. Regardless, she walked over to the table, taking a seat next to him and across from the others.

“We get it, you’re better than us.” Michael who sat the farthest from her across the table, rolled his eyes as he deadpanned. She simply stared at him as if the obvious had never been more of a revelation for all present, eyes slowly widening.

“My god, you’re right!” She gasped, sending those gathered into a chorus of laughter. At this, Michael allowed himself to smile back, brown eyes meeting steel grey ones. She gave him a playful wink as conversation flowed within the squad.

“John! Kate! When are you going to finally get together?” The question flew from Jean’s lips like an arrow that struck its mark. The duo sitting directly across from Jean and Mikasa sputtered, looking away from each other. Noticing the obvious discomfort of the duo, Mikasa took immediate action,

“Jean why are you such an ass?”

“I believe it’s endearing.” He replied matter of factly.

“Jean, the only people who find you endearing are those equestrian girls who appreciate that horseface.” All gathered at the table turned to look at the newcomer standing at the end of the table, next to Mikasa.

“Screw you, Jaeger.” Jean snarled.

Mikasa waved dismissively at that, “Shut up and eat your breakfast.” She stated firmly. Jean grumbled before acquiescing. “Good morning, Eren.” Mikasa smiled up at him. He returned the smile and greeting,  
“The captain wants us to move out in half an hour. Hopefully there'll be some action today. You know that town Connie’s from? Ragako I think it is? That’s where we’re going to head off any incursion within the region.”

“Be careful what you wish for Eren, you know as well as I do that the Dark Lord’s forces are no joke.”

He shook his head and huffed in frustration, “Mikasa stop worrying, it’s not like we haven’t done this before.”

“Just remember to come find me if there’s trouble.”

At that Eren sighed once again and she saw that familiar fire in his teal-green eyes, a fire that she had come to know well over the years. “Mikasa I don’t need your protection! I can take care of myself and aside from that I’m with Captain Levi and the others. Focus on yourself and your squad as a squad leader should.” He spat. Mikasa winced and did her best to hide the hurt she felt inside from his outburst.

“Of course, I’m sorry Eren.” She replied quietly, grabbing a piece of bread from the center of the table to give her something to do rather than endure his glare. _Can’t you see that I care?_ At that, Eren walked out of the tavern to join with the rest of the company outside.

“You know Mikasa, I don’t know why you let him talk to you like that, no one else would even _think_ of getting away with that.” Jean noted, his tone one of outrage at Eren’s outburst.

“Yeah, what’s up with that?” Kate chimed in.

Mikasa set the bread down, finishing what she was already chewing on, giving her time to think of an answer. Personally, she didn’t think it was all that complicated, but people seemed to _wish_ it was. They had known each other for a long time and it was something that came with the territory of being close to him. She never fully understood what they were getting at but then again, she didn’t care all that much. They were friends and if anyone was going to stop him from getting himself killed it was going to be her. “We grew up together in Shiganshina.”

“And?” Kate prodded, hazel eyes glistening with a hint of mischief.

“That’s it.” Mikasa replied flatly, rising from the table, “Everyone pack up and meet me outside in fifteen.” In quick and orderly fashion, she found herself outside with nearly three hundred other soldiers. Captain Levi was in charge of this detachment and according to his briefing the night before they would meet up with Captain Hanji at Ragako. Soon enough everyone was saddled and heading to Stohess’ main gate. Stohess was one of the major cities within the kingdom and was much more affluent with few other cities matching or exceeding it, such as Sina did.

Aside from her own squad and of course Levi’s, up near them was Annie’s squad. Her squad was composed entirely from the same cadet class they had shared. To her left and right were Reiner and Bertholdt and behind them rode Ymir and Christa. Annie’s disinterested gaze met Mikasa’s. Mikasa felt her pulse quicken. Annie had always been her rival, her equal in nearly every regard. Her stoicism and lack of interest in really being a part of a team irked her to no end. After a mutual dagger glaring exchange, they both returned their focus to the road ahead. It was a commonly known fact that Annie and Mikasa were best kept separate for fear of what might happen if allowed to mingle too much off the battlefield. The only time that they were good together was when they were across from each other on the battlefield, constantly seeking to outdo one another. That suited Mikasa just fine, she had little to say to the ‘Ice Queen’ as she had come to be called by her fellows from their old cadet grouping. Frankly, Mikasa just couldn’t trust her, couldn’t even read her, not like she could other people. Shaking such thoughts from her mind, she eagerly awaited their arrival at Ragako. _Now I sound like Eren_ , she thought, much to her chagrin.

After several hours of constant riding under the sun and dust kicked up from the dirt road they had been traveling upon, the ravenette was all too glad to hear that Captain Levi had determined they had reached a stopping point for the day. Dismounting, Mikasa grimaced slightly. If one is not careful, saddle sores could creep up on you and Mikasa was no exception. Fortunately for her, years in the saddle had taught her best in how to avoid such difficulties. She took a deep breath and ran her hand through her jet black hair. It was getting a little long, past her shoulders already. She would have to cut it soon. _Maybe Eren could help me with that,_ she mused as she pulled her waterskin from her saddle and took several gulps to sate her thirst. That dealt with, there was another job that requires attention: setting up camp. “Kate, tend to the horses. Michael, set up the fire and John I need you to set up the bedrolls. Jean, you watch the kids.”

“Yes ma’am!” They replied in unison.

She took this time to meet up with Levi who had set up camp several hundred feet deeper into the forest than she had. Their camp location was well chosen, ideal if they were attacked. However, that meant they had to keep up a vigilant watch in the night. Under the canopy of trees, the slowly setting sun cast long shadows everywhere if there was even any light that could penetrate the tree canopy. Along the way she met up with Petra who had been going from camp to camp to ensure everything was going smoothly. They exchanged polite greetings before following Petra back to where Levi was setting up camp. She didn’t mind Petra, she was the kindest of her squad and treated Eren well which was good enough for Mikasa. Unlike Levi, the bastard he was.

His little camp setup was immaculate as usual. They were camping in the middle of the forest and he somehow made even the _ground_ seem orderly and neat, to say nothing of the build of the campfire itself. That was typical of Levi and to a lesser extent those under him, which pissed her off a bit. He was abrasive, crude, and controlling. He was also one hell of a fighter, perhaps the best the Scouts had ever seen. Which seemed to only piss her off more because he could hold his own against her if it ever came to that. And there were _many_ times where it had almost come to that because of the way he spoke to Eren. He just had to be an asshole all the time to those under his command.

“Oi, brats, it’s about time you showed up. Sit down by the fire and shut the fuck up.” Sighing inwardly, she did as directed. Squad leaders began to filter in and Levi waited until all were present before continuing. Eren and the rest of Squad Levi were present as well. They were known as the Special Operations Squad for their prowess and ability to take on missions no one else dared. Between the five of them, excluding Eren for the moment as their most recent addition, they had over one hundred demon kills. Demons. Who would have thought they existed? These creatures came in all shapes and sizes, some the size of the walls that surrounded the kingdoms’ greatest cities, others merely half the size of a man. Suffice to say they came in infinite variation that made each fight unique to the one that preceded it. This is what accounted for the high casualty rate their units suffered in the field. While there did seem to be ‘types’ of demons, or at least, enough of a baseline that you could put cadets through training to challenge them, it was often a poor excuse as only field experience could really keep them alive. She remembered all too well those first few encounters with the infernal monsters. These horrific beings had come down from the mountains in the North only five years ago and had caused mass destruction in their wake. They were led by a being no one had a name for, and while some claimed to have seen it, the details were sketchy at best. Some said it resembled a man, others gave various accounts of it being some sort of dragon or bat. The church, according to its records did claim to have a name for this being, the fabled ‘Exitium Incarnatum’.

“Mikasa!” Eren whispered, elbowing her in the side. She briefly glanced over to him and nodded almost imperceptibly, though after years spent together he noticed the gesture and returned his attention to the Captain. It was often that she found herself drifting off in her own thoughts, but she knew there was always better times than when Levi was speaking. With that she turned her attention back to what the Captain was saying.

“...so just to be clear, we move at first light and meet up with Hanji’s detachment on the outskirts of Ragako. You got that Ackerman?” He added sharply, sending a scowl in her direction. _That bastard notices everything._

“Perfectly, sir.” She replied impassively, keeping her face a blank slate despite the storm brewing within her at being singled out by the short bastard.

  
With that settled, she stalked off as quickly as she could back to her own camp to relay the information to her team. She quickly noticed the sound of footsteps behind her and a glance over her shoulder revealed Eren. “Hey, Mikasa wait up.” He started and to which she obliged.

“Well come on then.” she replied before continuing on at a much more relaxed pace despite the fact that she wore an expression she had honed over the years when she didn’t want to deal with people. Eren knew the expression well and could probably tell that she was feeling that way just from the way she walked, but Eren was… well… Eren.

“Hey Mika, I know he’s a rude bastard, but don’t take it too much to heart, okay?” He smiled gently, his head turned to the right as he looked her over as they made their way through the twilight of the forest, her camp slowly coming into sight.

“I know, but between how that short bastard treats you and his attitude in general? He really gets under my skin. Every time he speaks I’m tempted to kick his ass.” She huffed, the venom in her words an all too knowing threat of action.  
Eren was quick in his attempt to lighten the mood and making good on her threats, “That would be more amazing than watching you fight Annie! You could even make some money. Remember though,” he started wagging a finger out in front of the two of them, “only I get to make stupid decisions on a whim, don’t go stealing my style.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she smiled a little at that, a touch of color blossoming across her cheeks yet obscured in the darkness much to her relief.

“Sure, Eren. I’m sorry. Anyways, would you like to have some tea? I’m sure there’s some brewing knowing Michael’s love for it. He’s similar to Levi that way.” She explained, letting her right hand trail up to his wrist, where his hand hung off her shoulders. She looked at him with a smile then. _You always know how to make me feel better._ His arm fell away as they approached the fire and as predicted, the tea kettle had already been set up over the fire, steam slowly rising from it. As they sat, Michael pulled it off the fire and began to pour its contents into several cups for everyone to partake in.

“Hey Mikasa, hey Eren.” Michael greeted with a smile only reserved for when tea was to be consumed. He handed each of them a steaming cup. They settled themselves and viewed those gathered where Kate and John sat rather close together, leaning against a nearby tree was Jean and carefully tending to the tea was of course, Michael.

“So, what’s the situation?” Jean finally asked.

“We set out at dawn to rendezvous with Hanji’s company on the southern outskirts of Ragako, probably about midday.” she states, garnering the attention of everyone. “There’s not much to it other than that, further orders will be given once there I’m sure.”

“Sounds alright to me. Think there’ll be any demons? I could really go for some demon slaying right about now.” Michael replied dryly. Kate couldn’t help but roll her eyes,

“Oh of course you would say something like that.” She commented.

“Yeah, you’re not gonna be the next Mikasa.” Shot Jean.

“Careful Michael, you’ll end up sounding like Oruo and you don’t even have the hair for it.” Added Eren. They all had a laugh at that, even Michael try as he might, found the humor in it. It was a well-known fact that for Mikasa’s young age of nineteen she was a demon slaying prodigy with twelve kills to her name, only two of which required the aid of her squad.

“Okay first of all, I’m not trying to imitate my superior, assholes. Second… no that pretty much covers it.” He stated as coolly as he could, arms across his chest as he leaned back against his bedroll. A collective eye roll came and went at his poor attempt to save face. Quickly clearing his throat and shifting his bedroll around he did his best to divert attention away from himself, “So where’s Captain Zacharius and his company?”

“He’s stationed around Shiganshina at the moment, to the north.” Answered Eren.

“Aren’t you guys from Shiganshina?” Kate asked.

“Yeah. Eren and I grew up there!” Mikasa smiled warmly. It was all too easy to drift back into the memories of running around her parents’ house inhaling the scents of her mother’s pastries and stews, of her father returning home with game caught after another victorious hunt. She remembered sewing beautiful dresses with her mother and how proud they had been when she was accepted into the Cadet Corps. Perhaps if the company made its way near Shiganshina she could stop by to see them, With Zacharius there, even Armin would be there, it had always been the three of them, her, Armin, and Eren.

They had always been together. Sure, she had known others but no one understood her like those two boys had, like they still did. Eren and Mikasa had bonded over Armin in those early childhood days, neither one of them willing to stand by and watch Armin get bullied by other children. Eren had always led the way but Mikasa was sure to finish it if he couldn’t. All those years ago they knew there was something special about Armin, not just his uncommon kindness but also, they knew that he was brilliant. When they had gotten out of the Cadets, they had joined the Scouts. Unfortunately, Armin was assigned to Zacharius’ company where the best strategic planners in the 104th Brigade went and where most of the planning was done when the entire unit was together. That had been a year ago. It was hard to believe sometimes, how fast time could fly, or how slowly it felt at other moments. Mikasa had gone an entire year without wearing a dress, even more rarely without some armor on. She missed being able to dress like a woman. But there was a war to fight and she would always be the first one to step forward. At least, she had always tried to, but if Eren was her superior in anything, it was his willingness to throw his ass into the fire. Regardless, she hoped that Armin had grown more into his own after this year apart. She could tell that there were always times when he had been afraid that he was their weakest link, that he was less than them. But not once had she ever believed that to be true. In many ways, Eren and her had been grateful that they were there for him in those early years. A mind as gifted as his should be doing something productive. She shuddered at the thought of what he was capable of had he followed a darker road.

Eren nudged her, a knowing smile on his face, “Maybe we’ll get to see him this time around.”

John looked between the two of them, “See who?”

Eren continued to smile, gazing into the campfire, the embers making his eyes glow with a sort of fey beauty. Mikasa couldn’t help but notice that. “Our friend Armin, we haven’t seen him in a year. Hopefully with the close proximity to the other units we’ll run into him somewhere.” Mikasa sipped appreciatively at her tea, humming in agreement with his hopes. She leaned back against him, feeling the breeze pick up as the vestiges of the sunset slipped away. She was grateful for his warmth. _Always so warm._ John and Kate exchanged a look as they watched the pair across from them. And people thought they were complicated.

  
“What are you guys on about now?” Michael leaned into them and whispered.

“Nothing.” The duo replied in unison.

The banter and small talk continued on for the next few minutes before Eren rose and took his leave for the night. With polite goodbyes, Mikasa inwardly groaned at the loss of his warmth. _No, the warmth._ She went to her bedroll and made herself comfortable, staring up at the stars before drifting off to sleep.

 

* * *

 

 

She awoke to the sound of screaming and the smell of smoke and blood. Quickly leaping from her bedroll, she grasped her sword that always stayed right next to her as she slept every night. In a single fluid motion, she pulled it from its scabbard and ran into the chaos. All around her men were fighting and dying in droves. She quickly saw the men who served in the Dark Lord’s armies. These men were clad in plate armor black as obsidian and ornamented heavily with spikes and runes dedicated to the darkest circles of Hell. At face value, they were seemingly inhuman warriors. But she knew better. Despite not wearing any armor of her own, it made her significantly faster than usual. She tore into them with all the grace of a dancer, but the force of a charging destrier. Every parry transformed into a lethal counterattack, every feint a final judgement upon the wicked. In battle against such mere mortals she seemed to be the true specter of death come to visit the field of battle. A massive beast soon found itself before her, bearing the lower body of a goat and the upper body of a bull with massive horns jutting out of its head and a mighty battle axe in its hands. Standing a minimum three feet taller than her it was certainly an imposing sight to many on the field. The demon bellowed a challenge, its blood red eyes flaring in hatred and anticipation as it charged straight towards her.

She timed her movements carefully now, muscles tensed as the beast thundered towards her. She focused on her breathing until she could feel her heartbeat calm. Her hand gripped her sword tightly. As the demon closed the last few feet between them she kept her eyes trained on its torso, curious to see how it would strike out at her. It pulled its axe head down to its right hip in preparation for an upwards diagonal slice. She knew full well that a demon was not an opponent to be blocked or parried, but an opponent that needed to be avoided. Their massive strength and otherworldly powers were not something mortals such as herself were meant to withstand. So, as it began its attack she quickly stepped forward and to the left, neatly avoiding the demon’s strike while placing herself inside of its guard. In the same instant of stepping in, she brought her blade up to slice off the beast’s right arm at the elbow. Black gore instantly began to flow from the wound and before the beast could react, she swung her blade to the left as it finished its upward arc which now had her blade slicing through its side. As the demon fell to its knees she spun to her right which now placed her behind it to bring her blade around and felt only the slightest bit of resistance as it cut through the monster’s neck, decapitating it.

  
She quickly scanned the area around her, looking for any enemies in the immediate vicinity. Finding none allowed her time to think. Where was her squad? How had they come across their camp? How had she not woken up earlier? A scream coming from the forest jarred her from her thoughts and spurred her into action and she began to sprint for the trees.

  
“Mikasa!” She heard the same desperate voice call out. _Eren._ Her blood ran cold. She kept sprinting until she found herself free of the forest and the countryside lay itself out before her. Or rather the countryside should have been there. Instead she saw a city in flames. Less than fifty feet ahead of her stood a man, he was incredibly tall with broad shoulders, yet thin. Even in the near darkness and smoke she could tell that he was pale, almost sickly so, his alabaster skin reflecting the light of the fires. His right hand held a sword that was black as night from pommel all the way down the blade save for what appeared to be a ruby in the center of the pommel. He was dressed in elegant black robes and his left hand was extended up and away from his body. In his grip was Eren’s throat who was feebly grasping at his hand. Eren’s feet dangled more than a foot above the ground and she could see the fear in his eyes, which merely reflected that which she felt. He was looking up at Eren, his jaw chiseled yet seemed distended as if instead of teeth that were in his smile there should be a row of fangs. All around him lay her squad. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked upon them. Their bodies shattered, laying in unnatural positions, some sporting deep blade marks. Then this… this _monster_ turned to look upon her. The eyes black save for the flames that seemed to linger behind those orbs rather than reflecting the flames around them.

  
_I’ve failed them… all of them… How could I have let this happen?_ Letting out an anguished cry she charged the demon. In the face of her charge, he dropped Eren, who crumpled to the ground unmoving. Once within range, Mikasa executed a series of lightning fast slashes, stabs, and feints to bring the monster down. However, the demon simply ducked dodged and sidestepped her assault, refusing to even bring its own blade up in defense as avoiding her attacks were mere _child’s play._ As she stepped her right foot forward in order to close the remaining distance between the two of them and to brace herself for a downward stroke she felt her foot stop mid-step. Caught by surprise and having thrown so much energy into trying to kill this thing she lost her balance, falling to her knees. Looking to her foot she found Michael wrapping his arms around her leg, holding it down, his face covered in blood, pale and jaw shattered, hanging open. His eyes missing, just empty black sockets staring at her. To her horror she found the rest of her squad crawling towards her, the sound of bones snapping as they moved within broken bodies. They swarmed her in seconds, holding her arms and legs down in an iron grip. Unable to move or defend herself, she knew it was over for her. She looked up at the creature before her, a twisted grin on its face as she struggled against her bonds. Its right hand came to cup her face, the grip hard as he leaned down close, almost face to face and took a deep breath. _Did it just smell me?_ Then in a blur of motion its lips met hers and a tight pressure to her jaw forced it open which allowed for a tongue to snake its way in and seemingly found the its way to the back of her throat. She struggled for what felt like minutes before it retracted from the forced embrace. “Interesting.” It stated in a deep timbre, as she gasped for breath after having been so violated. “We shall meet again soon.” It smiled before standing fully upright and walking way back towards the burning city. Before she could do anything else she felt the corpses of her dear friends pull her down onto her back and screamed as all their ravaged faces came down upon her. The last thing she saw was their empty eye sockets.

* * *

 

She jumped from her bedroll and looked about in panic. She was panting and _drenched_ in a cold sweat. Her eyes scoured the area only to find the prone figures of her friends as they slept peacefully next to the campfire. A cool breeze rolled along and she felt a stinging cold upon her cheeks. Mikasa brought her fingertips up to find trails of wetness. She hadn’t even realized she was crying. _What a nightmare._ Shaking uncontrollably, she rose from her bedroll, grabbed her sword and attached it to her belt. She pulled her boots on and rose. There was no way in hell that she could close her eyes after going through that. It was still so fresh in her mind that every time she closed her eyes it was like she was seeing it again. She took it upon herself to do all the quiet tasks that she could while her squad slept until just before dawn, she had to do something to keep herself from thinking about it, to keep herself together. That had to have been one of the worst experiences she had ever had in her life. Even though she knew it was a dream, the ravenette desperately wanted to seek out Eren at this moment, but knew that he was probably sleeping and it wouldn’t do to just wake him up just because she had a bad dream, no matter how much she just wanted to crawl into his bedroll and hear him tell her how it was just a dream and that everything was alright.

She felt _terrified._ She couldn’t shake the feeling of doom that had taken hold. After several hours of pacing and even doing her own patrolling along the perimeter much to the confusion of the night sentries, the dawn had finally come and with it, the awakening of the company. Her initial panic had dissipated about an hour before then but she didn’t have the energy to pretend that things were alright. She took to rousing each member of her squad and one look at her and the usually jovial bunch quickly got to work without argument and in silence. They were surprised to find that there was not much work to be done, most of it already stowed away in their saddlebags thanks to her. As she took to checking the straps of her saddle for what must have been the third time, she felt a presence to her right. Looking over she found Jean staring intently at her. “Is everything okay, Mikasa?” He asked in a voice tinged in concern and anxiety. None of them had ever seen her like this. While she wasn’t bubbly, she was always lighthearted.

Try as she might, even though she knew he meant well, she could only see the eyeless version before her, as if she was being taunted in her failure to protect him or the others. She returned his look with a scowl, “I’m fine. Make sure everyone is ready to ride in five.” Was her clipped reply before she stalked off to find a tree to lean against so she could take a _fucking_ breath. When the time came she returned and promptly mounted her horse, tilting her head down so her hair would mask her face and the dark bags around her eyes. The morning conversation was more somber and at a slightly greater distance than usual, her team realizing she needed some space due to whatever happened. She led them into the rapidly forming formation on the road at the front just behind Levi and his squad and across from Annie ad hers.

“You look like shit.” Came the typically cold observation from the short blonde. To anyone else it would have sounded harsh, but honest, yet Mikasa knew she was digging at her. She sensed her weakness and that was not something she could have happen right now.

 _Really? She has to start this now? Of all days?_ “You look like you should mind your fucking business.” Mikasa growled back, giving her best scowl. Both squads shifted uncomfortably in their saddles. Reiner and Bertholdt visibly bristled at such blatant hostility. Christa stared at them wide eyed and Ymir looked like she was doing her best not to laugh and the confrontation. The ice in Annie’s blue eyes seemed to almost crystallize in their hardness as she began her retort, only to be cut off by Levi shouting over his shoulder, the same bored expression on his face,

“Alright you fuckwits, that’s enough. We ride for Ragako and if you stop for any fucking reason I will _personally_ stroll on over to break your fucking legs.” His expression never wavered despite the sheer menace that came from his words. He then broke his horse into a full gallop, leaving little choice but to follow or get left behind. Both Annie and Mikasa made a point of not even looking in the other’s direction for the foreseeable future.

The company traveled in a column, a relaxed formation along a wide dirt road. It was easy to find a sense of calm in times such as these. Levi like to change the tempo of the company from an alternating gallop to walk, so as to make good time, but also keep everyone rested. Currently they were walking, which was nice. One could lose themselves to the sound of the horses’ hooves meeting the packed earth and in the sights of the verdant fields around them. The chirping of birds as they flew through the sky or nestled in the trees. It had been several hours since they had left camp and the stress of that… nightmare was finally ebbing away. At the very least Mikasa could finally let go of the scowl she had been maintaining since then,

They had to be approaching the town of Ragako by now and she could feel good about that. It seemed that clouds had finally begun to settle in, blocking out the blue sky. Regardless it seemed that everyone else was doing quite well. Michael seemed to be muttering about not having any tea at the moment, Jean was picking on Kate and John was coming to her defense as if he were her gallant verbal knight. _Yep, business as usual._ She sighed, wishing they could make a little more progress today. That was one thing that had helped her in life. A tenacity and desire for progress, for perfection. By her own will had she made her body into a weapon, a rippling mass of lean muscle and by her own efforts had she kept her mind sharp. While not quite as brilliant as Armin she more than made up for it on the battlefield. It was enough to have her placed as top of her class as a cadet. Glancing to her left she saw Annie, quiet as ever. Annie had taken second in their class and for whatever reason chose to join the Scouts rather than the Royal Guard. In fact, their cadet class was the first in recent memory to have all members of its top ten choose to join any unit other than the Royal Guard, though in this case they had all joined the Scouts.

Jean, Eren, Reiner, Bertholdt and Christa were among the top ten. Hell, even Ymir was good enough to be among that group. She always found it odd that she didn’t make it and that Ymir seemed all too happy that Christa was. Mikasa wasn’t prone to gossip, but Ymir could’ve easily taken Christa’s place. Besides them, she knew Sasha, Connie, and Marco were assigned to Hanji’s company. With any luck, she would run into them. People liked to think that this latest crop of the top ten were all patriots ready to fight and die for the king, but the truth of it was everyone had someone to look out for.

She did it for Eren. No matter which branch he would have chosen to serve in she would have followed him. In the early days, she had tried to talk him out of it, to live a normal life safe in the city. Perhaps he didn’t understand what she wanted, but she also understood that he had to do this, and that mattered more to her. Eren was so full of idealism and determination that he had wanted to travel beyond the confines of the kingdom and take the fight to humanity’s enemy. Armin would never separate himself from Eren and once again she couldn’t bear the thought of either of them getting hurt when she could have prevented it. Reiner and Bertholdt were close friends who would do anything for each other but they, like Connie, Jean, Marco and Annie had all seemed so set on joining the Royal Guard. There had been a turning point back then for them. When Trost was besieged, their cadet class was one of the few units available to stave off the assault of the demonic armies. They had lost many friends that day. Her throat tightened at the memories. She took a breath to get past them. In the aftermath of that fight, Eren had spoken to them all, an impromptu, impassioned speech of how the best way to help humanity and to ensure the safety of those they loved was to not sit behind the walls, but to strike out against the enemy. Many seemed to take it to heart, or it had at least gotten them thinking. Christa had already been set on joining the Scouts and had Ymir so wrapped around her finger that she followed her like a lovesick puppy. Connie and Sasha had developed a… thing that saw them both headed off into the Scouts together. Reiner and Bertholdt seemed to agree with Eren at the end and Marco followed Jean into the Scouts after his own personal revelations regarding the reality of the world they lived in. All of them had someone or something to fight for… except Annie. To Mikasa’s knowledge, Annie spoke little to anyone and only ever sought to challenge her. She had been _set_ on joining the Guard and wasn’t the type of person to be swayed by anyone else’s words. So why was she here now? She had always been hanging around with Reiner and Bertholdt, but she hardly spoke to either of them. Mikasa just _knew_ that something was up with her. It was a general sense of unease she had never been able to shake.

Up ahead she saw the gentle upward slope of the road as it went over a hill. Just as she was approaching it she heard a raucous arise from within the company. She looked about, quickly noticing what she hadn’t been before when so deep in thought. _Is that snow in summer? And what’s with this fog?_ Her mind raced, desperately trying to find a reason, any reason that was contrary to the truth she already knew. Levi and his squad were already atop the hill as she galloped up to meet them. Her jaw dropped as she saw Ragako through the smoke and ash. Ragako was burning.


	2. My Old Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Battle for Ragako begins. Danger abounds and an unlikely ally is found.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally have chapter 2 done after many revisions. It took quite a bit longer than I expected.

Perched upon the hill as they were, they beheld a grand view of the conflict. Try as she might, the shock refused to leave her. She sat rigid in the saddle, unable to tear her gaze away from the fire. A thousand thoughts ran through her mind,  _Why hadn't any forward observers notified command? Where was Hanji's company? Is Connie down there? Gods, they're so deep within our own territory._ The thoughts continued to flow in the silence that engulfed the lead element. After an interminable amount of time passed, Levi took the initiative, "Steel yourselves!" He shouted at them. His harsh voice seemed to shake everyone from their stupor.

She took the time to assess those around her. Annie seemed as bored and unfazed as ever. Reiner was somber, that glare, that fire in his eyes that he always seemed to get in the heat of battle that changed his attitude completely. Bertholdt looked about as nervous as ever. The rest of them all shared looks a mixture of trepidation and outrage. She looked to her own squad who sat at the base of the hill along with the rest of the company. Levi rode to the back of the hill to address his company amidst a backdrop of smoke and fiery orange light, "Listen up! Ragako burns in the Demon's name. Hanji's company is down there. That means we are going to slaughter those demonic sons-of-bitches. Show no mercy, for they will show you none." As much as Mikasa hated him, the bite in his words was impressive. She never really felt like much of a leader, in terms of what to say to inspire confidence or console those who have lost much. Sure, she was better at it now, in her early days in the military she was absolutely terrible. Regardless, she always gave credit where it was due, even in the case of Levi.

Her eyes flitted to Eren. His eyes had yet to leave the fires in Ragako. It was plain to see the seething rage building within him. It was times like these when she worried the most about him. His temper went hand-in-hand with his indomitable spirit. It was when he was most at risk. She made her way over to him, "Eren, it's going to be alright. I'll protect you." She spoke to him gently.

"Protect me? I won't need it," He barked back, "And  _nothing_   about this is alright." She dropped her gaze at that, because he was right. None of this was alright. She had never been very good at comforting people, but she thought she would at least try for him.

She turned away and retreated a few paces, her horse hoofing impatiently at the ground. "On your order, Captain." She heard Eld call out. Levi gave only the slightest nod that he had heard him. "Send a rider through the company, inform them that they will stay with the main group unless ordered otherwise." He replied.

"Main group, Captain?" Eld asked in puzzlement.

Rather than reply, Levi turned to Mikasa and Annie before speaking once more, "Both you two and your squads  will separate from the main group and circle left around the outskirts of the town in an attempt to link up with friendly forces in the North.

"How can you be certain that there are any forces in the North?" Mikasa pointed out.

Levi's eyes narrowed in obvious annoyance, his shards of obsidian boring into her slate grey orbs, "Because if I know Hanji, she'll want to take the fight to the enemy." He rode between the two of them, remaining just barely in front of them in order to speak more privately, "I expect you both to work together and get shit done. We don't have time for you guys to fuck things up."

The taller of the two ravens felt her pulse quicken and her rage build at his crass disrespect. If he could see the storm in her eyes he did not seem to care- much like the blonde. Regardless, a missions such as this, there would be no room for pettiness. He was just an asshole.

Levi pulled his reins and turned to face the company, whom Petra had been steadily informing of the plan and situation. Mikasa too looked upon the tide of men below her, arrayed in battle formation. They were a veritable sea of determined forces, brown and green uniforms, shining steel. Among them sat her own squad, at the forefront of the company. "Soldiers, we head into battle. The Dark Forces have come to Ragako. They burn our homes and our lands. They have come to steal our livelihood. So I say let's kill those fuckers." Levi spoke sharply to his troops before shifting towards Ragako.

"Follow me!" Levi shouted as he broke into a gallop, rapidly descending the hill as the sun began to set. Mikasa and every other Scout around her followed after him into the encroaching darkness. the thunder of hundreds of horsemen adding to the growing cacophony of battle that they were fast approaching. With a practiced ease and near synchronicity, the riders drew their swords in preparation for whatever may come. For Mikasa, it was taking far too long. Patience before the battle had never truly been her strong suit. Compounded upon this was the fact that this was Connie's home. Sasha's village wasn't far either and her home certainly was not either. All of these thoughts created feelings of despair and outrage at the audacity of the Warrior's attack. She spurred her steed in an effort to make haste. "Ackerman!" Came a clipped reply from Levi. His voice pulled her from her thoughts to regain some situational awareness she had not realized she had lost. In frustration she had ridden ahead of the main body. She slowed her pace to fall back into her squad.

To her left she could hear the steady thumping of an approaching rider. She turned her head to regard the die profile of one disinterested blonde, staring straight ahead in typical half-lidded fashion and speaking with that same cold indifference she had come to find so irksome. "You should focus. Don't let emotion cloud your judgement."

Mikasa scoffed in derision, "And what? Be cold and empty like you? I prefer to care about my friends." Came her steady reply. A flash of what might have been emotion briefly featured in Annie's expression before she broke off to rejoin her squad properly. The ravenette now faced the task before her singlemindedly. They were drawing close to Ragako now.

The settlement itself was an above average sized town but was unfortunately not considered important enough to have a wall built around it. That was most likely the reason why the city burned now. As they entered the outskirts of the town it became clear the battle had moved away from them. All around them lay the bodies of soldiers, warriors, and civilians. They pressed on in silence, moving deeperinto the outskirts until they found a main thoroughfare to take. Once found, squads Leonhart and Ackerman broke off from the main unit, moving rapidly down the street,

On either side of the riders sat houses neatly placed along the road. Or rather they would have been. As it was, the houses were mostly damaged if not outright destroyed. Houses of all shapes and sizes blazed, clouding the area so thick with smoke that Mikasa was forced to pull her scarf up to cover the lower half of her face to filter the debris. Her eyes watered perpetually with the sting of smoke. Visibility was greatly reduced and any obstacles in the road forced a reaction from the riders more often than they saw coming. As they continued along the road, they found that it began to curve to the right. Mikasa felt reasonably certain that this would lead them north and so with a brief nod to Annie, both squads followed the bend.

They heard it before they saw it. As the road straightened out a skirmish was unfolding before them. Through the smoke they could identify a dozen individuals clad in the armor of the Scouts surrounded by a similar number of Warriors in their baroque armor. The Scouts had their backs to a wagon which sat just to the left of the road, tilted due to a missing wheel. In the din of battle, neither party noticed the rapidly approaching horsemen. When the Warrior's did, it was far too late. Half their number were struck down in the charge. The riders had come upon them and slew them with the single stroke of the sword. Despite the reversal of fortune that befell the Warriors, they never faltered. That was one thing  that made Mikasa hate them all the more: their complete lack of self-preservation.

However, there were plenty of times that they came in handy. This behavior was on  _full_ display now. The mounted Scouts had the clear advantage in this battle. Not only did they have the height advantage, they had the power of the horse behind them. When striking with the additional movement and the momentum of the horse, the power of the strike was multiplied. Skilled as she was, Mikasa had struck down one in the charge and now found herself parrying the strikes of another. The Warrior's attacks were slow and clumsy, reliant on the power and strength of his battleaxe to make up for his shortfalls. Of course, such a strategy wouldn't work on a rider such as herself. She blocked his last strike before bringing her blade to bite at the junction of his shoulder and neck where his armor did not cover. The man froze before abruptly collapsing.

In short order, the Warriors were cut down and Mikasa turned her attention to those she had rescued. One of the men stepped forward, his face covered in smoke, dirt, and blood, "Thank you." He directed to them, despite his bedraggled appearance, his voice was firm.

"No problem. Where is Captain Hanji?" Mikasa answered. The man pointed off in the direction they had intended to go, further north.

"The Captain was pushing north. She has a better grasp of the current situation. We were attempting to get this cart out of the battle." He stepped over to it and knelt down to inspect the damage done to it.

"What's the cargo?" She asked, riding closer to it.

He obliged her curiosity by moving the canvas aside. A number of obviously injured men were revealed to her. She couldn't help but think of how helpless they would have been had the Warriors gotten to them.

"Your help could not have come at a better time." She saw the gleam in his eyes, the true gratitude present. She managed a small smile and a nod.

"We must be going. Good luck." She turned her mount and made her way down the road. "Good work everyone." The dark haired girl commended her squad.

"Hey, it was easy. I think John and Kate just watched. What do you think, Michael?" Jean grinned.

Michael shrugged, "I'm not touching that one." Jean huffed.

"Can we go now?" Annie spoke up, one eyebrow raised.

"Of course." Mikasa replied, waving for them to follow her. She could still hear Jean and John arguing but even in battle they spared the time. Still, it was much more lighthearted than when Eren and Jean got into it. She broke once more into a gallop, forcing thoughts of Eren from her mind. Moving down several more streets at rapid pace, the fog of war grew ever thicker until her visibility dwindled to but a mere few feet in front of her. The only figure visible to her was Annie, who had chosen to match pace and was currently alongside her. It was typical really, for her to refuse to lay behind her for any amount of time. Of course, that meant neither of them saw the blur of grey that manifested to their right.

The impact was jarring, to say the least. It came from the right and had Mikasa traveling in that direction as her horse was forced left. The air was knocked form her lungs and she felt herself in the unease of free fall. The world spun for several moments before she made impact with the ground. Her head snapped back, striking the ground with ferocity. Gasping for air, lying on her back, she felt a sharp pain in her side. The next thing she notices was the onrushing tide of stone and timber blocking her view of the sky. Her attention was drawn to a particular piece of debris as it fell upon her, then everything went to black.

* * *

 

When she next opened here eyes the world seemed darker. And oh how her head  _throbbed._ Above her the sky seemed grey. Perhaps it was smoke in the aftermath of battle? Her mind felt... foggy was the best word to describe it, as if she could begin a thought but lose it if she was not properly concentrating. To form a coherent thought was exhausting in itself. The first thought centered on the first sensation she could feel, that of an oppressive that had settled on her body, Her right hand felt pinned at her side. She moved her fingers over a rough texture.  _Rock?_ She questioned,  _More accurately, stone._ Realization dawned on her rather quickly,  _That's right, a fucking house must have fallen on me._ She attempted to move but quickly found that her reward was to be pain and a general lack of mobility. On the off chance that someone was still outside and had not assumed she was dead, she attempted to speak. That resulted in a fit of coughing from, most likely from all of the dust in her dry throat and the taste of copper heavy in her mouth.

"Mikasa?" A flat voice called out, echoing ever so slightly through the debris. It sounded so close, yet so very far away. To Mikasa, it was probably the best thing she had ever heard the other girl say.

"Yeah." Came her pained response followed by the need to breathe again, taking several shallow breaths.

"Okay." There was what sounded like shuffling and Mikasa hoped Annie was on her way. Her vision blurred and she would blink rapidly, trying to focus her vision. The problem of her vision persisted every few seconds, an infuriating cycle. While that certainly seemed like a problem, she surmised that it was infinitely more important to move out of the rubble, Despite being of the opinion that she required no more motivation to be free of her predicament, the distinct roar of a demon filtered through the rubble.

"That the demon that got me?" She croaked.

There was a small silence, "It got me too."

Mikasa moved her left arm and thankfully found she had a little space. She placed her palm on the nearest piece of stone to her chest and pushed. She grit her teeth and pushed for all she was worth. As the stone began to shift up and away she felt the stone over her right shoulder press down firmly. The slight increase in pressure was enough to elicit a a pained gasp from one of humanity's strongest. That shoulder was definitely dislocated. She heard boots scuffling and assumed Annie was somewhere near. "Annie." She called out. She heard the other person draw closer.

"I think I'm above you now." Annie replied.

"Okay. I need you to press the stone on my right up." She said, voice gravelly but thankfully not ending in another coughing fit.

She heard a grunt as the pressure on her lessened. As it did so, she pushed against the other stone. Her arm burned like liquid fire flowed through her veins and any deep breath stung in her chest. Though it felt like an eternity, the rubble finally succumbed to their combined efforts. With the rubble off, the suffocating darkness to which she was subjected dissipated and she found her breathing to come much more easily. She looked up to see Annie kneeling next to her, those ice blue eyes assessing her. The slight downward slope to the corners of her mouth indicated she was not so pleased with Mikasa's condition. Mikasa was never one to back down and now more than ever she had something she needed to do. She sat herself up. The pain was searing but she gave no outward indication. Meeting Annie's eyes, she nodded down to her shoulder. Nodding once, Annie moved beside her and quickly pushed her shoulder back into place. Mikasa let out a pained, but silent exhale. 

At that, they both stood. The taller girl staggered, the pain in her side felt like it was stabbing into her core. Her hand instinctively came to rest upon the injury. Her vision continued to blur and she felt that her depth perception was off. Putting her hand to her head, she could feel the trickle of blood coming from her forehead. It seemed strange to her that she could not feel it. Regardless, she began stumbling through the rubble. "Mikasa." She ignored Annie, she had a job to do and a squad somewhere out there that needed her. " _Mikasa._ " Annie repeated, much more firmly this time, grabbing the ravenette by the arm, ceasing her stride. Mikasa stared at her incredulously,  _Surely she doesn't..._ She turned away, pulling her arm free as her eyes scanned the ground for a weapon. The blonde brushed past her without looking back. Once clear of the rubble, she stopped. With a sigh, she swallowed her annoyance and followed after her.

Though it took much longer than she would have liked, she eventually reached Annie's side. Annie continued on. She led them north, or rather, that was what Mikasa assumed in the murkiness of her mind. They stayed close to the right side of the street for cover, bereft of weapons as they were. At least if any Warriors were to come from the inner parts of the town, they would not be seen easily. Echoing down the street came the same bloodcurdling roar from before. It was much closer. Swearing, Annie found the nearest open door and pulled Mikasa in. The inside provided evidence that they had entered the sizable residence of some wealthy villager. They stood in a dark, dusty hallway that appeared to span almost the entirety of the length of the house it seemed. On the left side of the hall, several doorways were present and ajar. It seemed likely that whoever lived here had fled.

Heading down the hall, Annie reached it before hooking right around the corner. As Mikasa made to follow, her right hand braced against the wall for support, she found herself slammed into the wall. A quick glance revealed the threat to be a man dressed in dark leather armor, a left arm shoved into her side and the right holding a dagger pulled back down by his hip in preparation for a single deadly strike. Through the haze that pervaded her mind, her heart began to race and blood to flow in her veins. She let go of her thoughts, her doubts and worries, allowing her body to act on instinct and muscle memory born from years of drilling. The first thing to note was that he was at her side, allowing him full access to her body, he was in the best position possible.

Mikasa brought her hands up and grabbed his left arm with her right hand on his elbow, pushing it left across her body as she fully extended her left arm beneath and around the tangled mass of limbs and formed her hand into a blade, bringing it slamming into the junction between shoulder and torso, striking a nerve. The strike brought about much pain for him, but also served to temporarily relax his arm, allowing Mikasa to push it off, sending the Warrior surging forward off balance. Quick to press her advantage, her left hand grabbed his shoulder as her right hand grabbed the back of his head and forced it into the wall as she sidestepped to the right. In the span of a few seconds she had seemingly reversed her fortune.

The Warrior spun around with his back to the wall and swung at her with the knife, forcing her to jump back and create the distance she did not want. Her only chance at survival would be to get close and inside his guard. She had her hands up in front of her as he once again advanced with the knife held out in front of him, the cold steel glinting menacingly in the darkness in the darkness of the hall. His approach was more measured, the darkness in his eyes more calculating. She quickly feinted left as if to run down the hall and in his tense state he briefly twitched to follow her movement. Mikasa took that opening to charge him, leading in with a heavy heel kick, using her hips to generate the requisite amount of force. The blow connected solidly and forced him back against the wall before he brought the knife through for a straightforward lunge directed at her stomach.

Such a tactic is a dangerous maneuver to either avoid or counter. Instead, she turned so that her shoulder faced him and wrapped both hands around his that held the blade, He pulled his left hand to deliver a powerful blow to her cheek. The blow was jarring and despite her vision blurring, she continued to hold on. She brought her knee up and slammed it into his hand over and over again until he growled in pain and dropped it. She drove her shoulder into him before diving for the knife as it went skidding across the floor. Just as he the knife found itself nestled in her palm, she felt a hard kick slam into her side, knocking her against the wall. She desperately held onto the blade even as she felt the Warrior's rough, callused hands twist the blade around so that it was aimed toward her heart. She resisted with all of her might as the blade slowly began its descent. Her pulse was pounding, adrenaline flowed through her veins and her blood began to seep into her eyes. She could see the blazing intensity in his eyes, the sort of malice that only the most twisted of monsters could possibly confer on another. AS they came ever closer, he suddenly threw his head forward for a headbutt. He slammed his head into her mouth, the fresh wave of pain emanating from her lip a clear reminder of the fragility of her own life.

The hot, viscous liquid pooled in her mouth, the revolting taste of iron filling her senses. She waited until her mouth was filled with blood before spitting directly into his eyes. He screamed in surprise and his grip on the knife loosened. In one fluid motion she wrenched the knife away and brought it across his throat. As the wound opened, blood sprayed across her as she forced his body off and to the side of her. The knife fell from her grasp, not that she could help it with the way her hands were shaking. She just barely managed to push herself into a sitting position against the wall when it hit her.

Her chest heaved and she felt a torrent of sensations. She was both hot and cold, utterly exhausted and was wracked with a dozen different aches and pains of varying intensity. Leaning her head back against the wall, she closed her eyes and embraced the silence that was present. It was so easy to sleep. There was something, however. Something sat at the edge of her awareness, trying desperately to drag her focus back to the dark hallway filled with death. "Mikasa." She hear someone say, as if from a great distance away. A rough shake of her shoulder and the pain resting within her body flared, bringing her world back into focus as she opened her eyes, a gasp of pain making itself known to the world around her. With a shaky hand, she ran it over her eyes, wiping away any excess blood. Once cleared, she noticed that it was Annie who was still with her. Annie appeared...  _concerned._

Mikasa laughed lightly at the thought that Annie could even display that kind of emotion. Furthermore, on who's account was she concerned? Hers? She had never cared for Mikasa and she highly doubted it had started now. If anything, she was probably a little worse for wear. Judging by her hair being out of its bun, the fresh tears in her uniform, and the blood spattered across her breastplate, she had had a fight of her own. "Got held up too?" Mikasa murmured, a small grin spreading across her features even as she struggled to put her finger on what was so funny.

"Get up, we have to move." Did Annie's voice have an edge to it? She decided that it was just her imagination. Mikasa complied, however. With some focus she pressed her back against the wall and used her legs to slide herself up the wall. Her pulse was pounding and her vision seemed dark around though she couldn't feel anymore concern for it.

"I'm very tired, Annie." She sighed.

"Mikasa, come on. Stay awake dumbass." Annie snarled. She was too tired to disagree so she followed after her. Their pace seemed slower but she didn't mind. Her thoughts drifted endlessly but eventually settled on Annie as they made their way through the rest of the house. She seemed worried, but was also eminently unreadable. Indeed, Annie did not get worried. She did not get anything but  _angry_ and Mikasa was almost always the cause of that. It was probably most accurate to say she was always indifferent. Yet, Mikasa felt compelled to believe Annie was anything but.

"Annie, can I ask you something?" She suddenly asked, needing to know the answer.

"What?" She replied no less casually than usual.

"Why do you care?" Annie stopped momentarily, to Mikasa's currently unfocused eye, she failed to catch it as a reaction rather than a meaningless pause. She continued on through the door and out into the open street, neglecting to answer. Mikasa huffed in frustration but continued on.

Fortunately for them, the road was empty save for the scars of battle. Regardless, it could have been much worse. She followed Annie down one more street before she realized she may not be able to go on under her own power. Now she recognized this thought but she did not voice it. They came around the corner of the next street they had traveled and saw a batch of familiar faces. Standing in the rubble of what might once have been a home were Ymir and Christa. They were safely hidden within the rubble as if waiting. A strange silence had settled over this area, enough that the rhythmic clinking of armor caught their attention and they both turned to see the girls approach their position.

Upon reaching their place in the wreckage of the home, Ymir broke into a toothy grin, "Holy shit, I didn't think you guys made it!" Her grin slowly dissipated as she took in their condition, "Gods, you guys look like utter shit. Especially you, Mikasa." Mikasa furrowed her brow, she wasn't aware of her current appearance, but then again, the thudding in her ears seemed to take most of her attention.

"Ymir!" Came a sudden retort from Christa. Mikasa would have commented but her vision chose that moment to wither away and this time she did not even try to stop the wave of exhaustion that forced her eyes to close before she even hit the ground.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. More to come soon!

**Author's Note:**

> I'm currently almost done with the next chapter, however I hate my first draft with a passion and revision may take some time. Hope you all stick around to see it unfold and thanks for reading.


End file.
